Loutraki, Greece: The first Global Cup Volleyball Championship since the pandemic was held in Greece from Aug. 23 to the 28.
Canadian team coordinator George Tokarsky started working on getting a Canadian Women’s and Men’s 50+ team together for the tournament in March, and in May it was confirmed for the women but the team played down in the 45+ division. Although Canada had enough men for a team, there was not enough entries for the tournament to proceed with the men’s division.
The Canadian women’s team consisted of players from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. For all but one, this was the first time participating in a Global Cup Competition and what an amazing experience it was!
The four countries participating were Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and Lithuania. Canada beat Mexico and Costa Rica 2-0 in the round robin but lost to Lithuania 0-2. The Women then had to play Mexico in the first round of playoffs and won 2-0 which matched them up against Lithuania in the semi final. The team continued to build and come together but lost the match 1-2 which then made them have to play a second match to try to get into the final. The team came up against Mexico once again and won 2-0 putting them in the final against Lithuania. Canada knew it was going to be a difficult match and if they won would have to play a “Golden Set” as it was a double elimination tournament. The Canadian team played their best volleyball and overcame deficits in 2 of the sets to take Lithuania 3-0 forcing the final “Golden Set”. It wasn’t the start the women wanted and despite being down, the ladies pushed through with some big finishes in long rallies to win 25-20 making it a sweep in the final, 4-0, and winning the gold! (25-18, 25-22, 25-21, 25-20).
Global Cup was much more than just volleyball. It is a chance for volleyball players from across Canada to come together in a beautiful place, meet new people, experience culture and food and play a sport that they all love. During the tournament SportCamp hosted an athletes’ reception to start off the tournament, a tour to the Temple of Hera with time at Heraion Lagoon. They also had a banquet on a cruise that took all the teams though the Isthmia Canal and around the Loutraki coast line.
Another highlight, especially for the Canadian team, was the recognition the Global Cup Organizers and SportCamp gave to George Tokarsky. They presented him with a commemorative trophy for all his work over the years in developing international master’s tournaments like the Global Cup. The Team Canada Masters National team program is always looking for players to represent Canada in the Global Cup World Championships and other events which take place around the world. If you would like to represent Canada in one or more of these events or would like more information, please masters national team coordinator George Tokarsky at tokarsky@ualberta.ca
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